Weed or safety guards for outboard motors are well known and are usually necessary for use in trolling motors for boats where maneuvering in shallow or obstructed water is necessary. These guards have taken various forms and examples of such are shown in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,013,033 issued Mar. 22, 1977 to Porter et al; 3,035,538 issued May 22, 1962 to Willard; 2,244,217 issued June 3, 1941 to Pries; and 3,802,377 issued Apr. 9, 1974 to Porter et al.
In guards of this character it is necessary that the flow of water is unimpeded and the action of the propeller is unimpaired, but at the same time it is necessary to protect the propeller as much as possible from obstructions and entanglement in weeds. As a result, it has heretofore been difficult to retain complete efficiency of the propeller, completely protecting the propeller on all sides and yet permit easy maintenance, repair or replacement of parts such as the propeller or its shear pin. Some of these prior art devices have been made of rather fragile or resilient material so as to reduce the shock loads thereon when striking an obstruction, but this construction has resulted in damage to the guard and need for frequent replacement thereof. Other guards have been made of heavy and strong material, but have resulted in impairment of the passage of water and action of the propeller. Still other guards have not permitted easy access to the propeller and its shear pin that must be repaired or replaced. Trolling motors of the type to which the present invention pertains are also shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,906,887 which issued Sept. 23, 1975 and entitled "Electric Outboard Motor".